What's Love Got to Do With It
by LadyClaireAnn
Summary: Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy have had this "arrangement" for eight years. And for eight years both men have kept their true feelings hidden away. One thing was certain: this wasn't love. Cheating, Ginny bashing, M/M smut (eventually, maybe) swears, the whole shebang
1. Chapter 1

What's Love Got to Do With It?

This wasn't love. It couldn't be love, it just couldn't be. It was inconceivable.

What Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy had was merely an arrangement, an arrangement for convenience. Nothing more; nothing less.

And they were happy with it, or so it seemed to them. Alone, well that was a different story.

Yes Harry Potter, highly acclaimed Auror and esteemed husband, was carrying on an affair with former Death Eater turned Auror, Draco Malfoy.

For the past eight years both men, one in an unhappy rushed marriage to a girl he no longer loved and the other just trying to salvage what's left of his besmirched family name, kept up this torrid and clandestine affair.

Originally, it had started out as getting drinks at a pub, an attempt to try their hand at friendship or something relatively close to it, what started out as innocent meets up turned into drunken snogging and a few quick fucks every now and then.

In time it developed into an intense mutual need for one another, it was effortless, and it felt right.

One thing was clear from the beginning though: It meant nothing.

Such as it was, tonight found Harry seated at a corner booth in a dimly lit, out-of-the-way muggle pub, waiting for Draco.

Usually they met exactly at eight o'clock, give or take a few minutes, but Draco was more than twenty minutes late and Harry thought wildly what if Draco decided not to come.

He'd already cast three temporary charms to keep the ice in Draco's scotch from melting knowing the man detested watered down scotch.

If anything Draco's absence gave him some time to mull things over between them. Lately, he'd found that he looked forward to seeing Draco more and more, that lately he'd even been considering leaving Ginny for him.

This arrangement was driving him crazy, but Draco had made it very clear from the start.

This is not love.

He hated lying to himself but what could he do? It takes two to tango and if the other wasn't in love back then it's all for naught.

His head ached and if Draco wasn't going to show up he might as well drink himself stupid.

As the clock on the wall hit the half hour mark he decided that Draco wasn't coming and got up to pull his coat on.

As he was just about to put a little muggle money on the table to pay for his empty drinks and the one that sat unconsumed the bell above the door jingled and Harry turned and saw Draco heading toward him.

"Potter, where are you going?" Draco asked.

"I thought I had an arrangement with a certain blond man but he hasn't shown up yet, have you seen him?"

"I think I saw the very attractive blond man you are referring to, he got caught up with some unexpected paperwork back at the Ministry and could not put it off for another time."

"I never said attractive," Harry huffed indignantly.

"Piss off, Potter," Draco spat.

Harry scoffed and continued getting ready to leave; he was in no mood to deal with Draco tonight, and that might have just been the booze doing the thinking for him.

"Harry, wait," Draco put his hand on Harry's arm to stop him.

Harry closed his eyes and sighed. Draco had an irritating habit of knowing exactly what to say or where to touch to make Harry his.

And Harry had an equally irritating habit of letting Draco do that to him, and Draco knew this.

Harry stood motionless while his companion drew his coat off and deposited it in booth; he clenched his fists when Draco deliberately ran his fingertips down Harry's arms.

Draco sat down and Harry followed suit, the tension was thick between them.

Draco watched Harry through slightly narrowed eyes but as their silence grew his gaze softened. "Say something Potter."

"Why don't you?" Harry threw back at him.

Draco sighed and downed the glass of scotch in one swig, "What's got your knickers in a twist tonight?"

"Nothing," Harry grunted. He wished he'd ordered another glass or three of whiskey to deal with Draco and his snide remarks. He wasn't nearly drunk enough to handle Draco and he thought quickly and for the thousandth time why did he put up with him at all.

He must be a masochist.

"Excellent elocution, Potter." Draco knew why Harry was pissed off though; he didn't need to ask him. Perhaps baiting him was a bad idea.

Harry gripped one of the empty glasses so tightly that his knuckles turned white and said nothing.

Draco noticed that and brought his own hand up an over Harry's on the glass, "You'll break that glass you know."

In response Harry squeezed the glass even harder until his hand trembled.

Draco swallowed his pride, "Harry, I'm sorry I was late, but I was buried in paperwork and I didn't have a chance to get a message to you."

Harry let go of the glass and swatted Draco's hand away. "Doesn't matter Malfoy, let's just do what we get together to do so I can go home and hate my life and pretend I'm a happily married man."

"You know just what to say to get a bloke in the mood Potter," snapped Draco sarcastically.

Whilst Harry sulked across from him, Draco took advantage and ordered a few more drinks to match Harry in drunkenness; he was going to need it if Harry was going to be like this tonight.

When both men were sufficiently hammered enough to be in each other's presence without the thick tension Draco made the first move and slid close to Harry in the booth. "Are you still mad at me?" he purred into his ear and curled around him like a cat.

"Depends," Harry answered, "Make it up to me?"

"How should I do that?" Draco placed light open-mouthed kisses on Harry's cheek and ran his hand down his chest. His hand continued it's southbound journey toward his most intimate area wherein he gave him a hard squeeze.

"I'm sure you'll figure something out," came Harry's reply.

"Just say the word, Harry," Draco kept up his touching on Harry's clothes erection.

"I want you to make love to me," Harry said, his speech was slurred and his brain was so addled from the alcohol that he hadn't realized what he'd said.

"Making love" was one of those phrases that Draco expressly prohibited within their affair. Nothing about this was love.

Draco decided to ignore it, "Okay Potter."

They disentangled from each other and left the pub, clinging to one another so neither would fall.

Draco apparated them to their normal motel, a small, privately owned inn that had a reputation for being a place for men and women to conduct covert affairs.

The innkeeper handed over the key to their room, the same one every time and both men made their way there, both horny, hard, and too inebriated for their own good.

Draco pulled Harry into the room quickly and locked the door behind them and the lights went down and the clothes came off.

A/N: Been a while since I've written any Harry/Draco. I thought I'd gotten a bit rusty; tell me what you think. (Obviously I'm going to continue)


	2. Chapter 2

What's Love Got to Do With It?

Chapter Two

It wasn't until Harry was asleep next to him that Draco really started to think about their situation, and more importantly the term Harry used when they were back at the pub.

"Make Love" Draco cringed at those two words. It wasn't with disgust that he cringed, no, it was longing. He'd love to be able to call this making love but it couldn't be called that, not while Harry was still married to the Weasley bint.

The thought of her left a bad taste in his mouth.

Was it love? He was sure it was, but he himself had made it clear that they'd never have love between them. Looking back he cursed himself for this, he did love Harry, since the beginning, hell he probably loved him the moment he met him in Madam Malkin's all those years ago, even though he'd not even known the boy's name at the time.

He spent years of his life agonizing over this, by now he could have found a nice pureblood girl to marry and had an heir, but he only wanted Harry. And even if this was the only way he'd be able to have him then he was going to take advantage of it until one or both of them got tired of it.

Draco glanced over at the digital clock on the night table and sighed, it was around the time that he left Harry to wake in a cold bed. If this wasn't love then he didn't want to wake up and see his handsome face in the morning like they were a long time married couple.

Draco tried to extract his arm from where it was supporting Harry's head but he couldn't do so without the risk of waking him up.

He lay there a little longer until Harry turned over on his side and unknowingly allowed Draco take back his arm and get out of the bed.

Whilst he gathered his clothes and pulled them on in the light from the bathroom he cast sad glances over at Harry's sleeping form. What he wouldn't give to crawl back under the covers with him and kiss him awake in the morning.

Once he'd set himself to rights he went back toward the bed to grab his wand from the night table. Harry stirred but didn't wake.

Draco's heart ached as he knelt down to kiss Harry's forehead.

He shut the bathroom light off and left the room. As was their ritual, as was their pain.

Harry woke some time later to a cold bed; the imprint from Draco's head was still in his pillow, his smell all over the sheets. Harry rolled over to lie on Draco's side of the bed and pulled the sheet up over his head.

He knew he had to get up and shower, the last thing he wanted was to go home to his wife and have her smell sex and another man's cologne on his person.

He showered and made extra sure to vanish the love bites that peppered his neck and chest and any other bruises that marred his skin from his and Draco's countless romps.

Harry left the inn while the early morning pastels still painted the sky and apparated back to his and Ginny's house in Godric's Hollow.

Sore and exhausted, he unlocked the door and removed his shoes. They fell with two dull thumps on the rug.

Harry raked his fingers through his hair and started off toward the bedroom. Normally the sight of one's wife curled on her side with the covers pulled up to her chin was enough to make a husband want to crawl into the bed and put his arm around her.

That's what happily married couples did, but Harry wasn't happily married, he'd rather that be Draco in his bed but it wasn't and that reality left him feeling bitter.

He turned back toward the sitting room and grabbed the quilt lying on the back of the sofa. He slept in his clothes the rest of the morning and reawakened around 9:00 when Ginny turned on the hall light and entered the kitchen.

Harry tried going back to sleep but it was to no avail, so he begrudgingly pushed back the comforter and went to greet his wife good morning.

He granted her the obligatory morning kiss and grabbed a coffee mug from the cabinet.

An owl brought the Daily Prophet and Harry slumped over the table to read it, ignoring the irritated little sighs from his wife.

"What time did you get in this morning?" Ginny asked when she sat across from him with her own cup of coffee.

"I don't know, about two," Harry didn't even bother acknowledging her with a glance over the paper.

"Are you lying to me?"

He turned the page to the Quidditch section and noted that the Holyhead Harpies, Ginny's former Quidditch team, had made it to the championship match against Puddlemere United. "No, I am not."

Ginny wasn't convinced, lately she'd had the sneaking suspicion that Harry was cheating on her, he never touched her anymore or slept in their bed. "You're lying to me, I heard you stumble in at quarter to six this morning."

Harry didn't respond, just flipped the page. Lucius Malfoy's probation hearing had been set for the end of the month to determine whether or not he should be released from Azkaban.

"Are you cheating on me Harry Potter?" Ginny accused.

He glared at the words on the page so intensely he thought he might burn a whole right through the paper. "No."

"Who is she?"

"Ginny, there is no other woman. I am not cheating on you." Harry clenched his fists and crumpled the edges of the paper.

She still wasn't convinced, the aggravated sigh and crash of the chair into her side of the table signaled her retreat.

Harry continued reading the rest of the Prophet, ignoring the stomping feet that belonged to Ginny and the loud slam of the front door.

None of these helped to relieve him of his hangover and he thanked his lucky stars that he had the day off today to sleep his troubles away on the couch.

All day Draco's image burned like wildfire through his dreams. When he resurfaced in the afternoon he went to the liquor cabinet and took up his half empty bottle of Fire Whisky.

A shot or four was all he needed to make it through the rest of the day while he braced himself for the shit storm his wife would bring home for him.

When she didn't come home he was admittedly surprised, he didn't care what she did and with whom she did it, as far as he was concerned their marriage was reaching its end.

Even without his wife home he found it difficult to sleep in their bed, so he rode the couch for the third night in a row.

Ginny returned late in the morning on Sunday and completely ignored Harry, who was sitting in a post-inebriated state on the couch. They spent the rest of the day ignoring one another and night followed the same path.

A/N: This fic is really slow getting started, my lord. I'll try to keep the updates fast.


	3. Chapter 3

What's Love Got To Do With It?

Chapter Three

Monday morning came quicker than Draco would have liked, having spent the better part of the weekend alone and inebriated. He quite literally rolled out of his bed and onto the floor and to the bathroom to shower and make ready for the day.

Draco was not at all looking forward to a grueling day at the Ministry with his fellow Aurors and… Harry.

Their last meeting had been one of their bad ones; those were becoming more and more the norm between them though.

Draco loved Harry; he'd do anything if it pleased him. He'd suffer the harshest pain if Harry wanted him to.

He suffered more than Harry knew. When Harry and his bint were out at social functions and Draco was also present he'd see her clinging to him and kissing him and it made him sick to his stomach.

Sometimes Harry was able to extricate himself from her clutches but she'd find him shortly after.

Why did it have to be this way, neither of them were happy, perhaps ending what they had and moving far away from Britain would help him.

But Draco knew all too well that he'd never leave, not unless Harry asked him to.

He knew he'd mulled this over too long; his fingertips were starting to prune from the water.

Draco groaned and pulled his head off the shower wall, turning the water off while he did so.

With much lethargy, he stepped out of the shower and dried his body off. He ventured out of the bathroom soon after and shrugged on his tailored-to-perfection robes.

He arrived at the ministry via the Floo Network and treaded cautiously into the sea of Ministry employees surging toward the lifts. Draco did not see Harry among them, but mornings were always busy, he'd see him yet.

He reached a lift after being shoved by other wizards and witches to get to it; to his relief Harry was already in the back of the lift looking as tired and upset as Draco.

Draco maneuvered by everyone and stood next to Harry, perhaps a little too closely than what was professional.

"Harry, I need to talk to you," Draco started, he wasn't sure what he'd say but he felt compelled to say something, anything.

"Malfoy, whatever it is I can assure you I'm not interested in hearing it," came Harry's cold response; he had yet to even look at Draco.

"Harry, please," Draco clutched at his wrist desperately.

Before Harry could react the recorded voice in the lift told them they'd reached their floor. Harry weaved through people as nimbly as he could to get away from Draco before he did something he'd regret.

Draco stared after him, then got off the lift before it closed on him. His stomach turned in resentment. Who the Hell did Harry think he was just blowing him off like that?

That was Draco's job; he was the spurned lover.

He huffed and set off for his office and the stack of papers he'd ignored on Friday to make sure he caught Harry before he left the pub.

…

Harry's heart hurt as he fled from where he'd left Draco, the weekend alone had given him much time to think and the more he'd thought about their situation, the more cross he got.

Draco probably thought that he was mad at him, he was probably pissed off. Harry knew he shouldn't have cruelly dismissed Draco's pleading voice and hand clutching tightly to his wrist, but he didn't want to start any rumors, and Merlin knows there would have been many.

When he reached his office he trudged to his desk and slumped into his chair. It was only Monday and already he had a load of paperwork to file through and fill out.

He looked up from his work and met the passing glance of Draco, who stopped abruptly and stared at Harry for a little while.

There was no feeling in their locked gazes, no emotion, just emptiness. Harry blinked once and Draco was gone. He sighed and dropped his head onto his desk, his hands came up to card roughly through his hair in frustration.

After he'd finished skulking, he set to work on the paperwork.

By midday he hadn't even made a dent in the pile. He kept wondering what Draco was doing right now, what he was thinking about, if he was feeling okay… Harry dozed a few times and once a coworker even came in and slammed his hand on Harry's desk to jerk him awake.

Lately his work ethic had taken a tumble, but it never got so bad that he just stopped all together.

Around early afternoon Harry was twirling his wand absentmindedly in his hand, so he didn't notice Draco's slight figure hovering in the doorway watching him right away.

When he did he jumped up from his chair and made it look like he wasn't neglecting his work.

Draco didn't wait for permission to enter, he stepped in and toward Harry's desk. He set a small stack of papers down, forms from Kingsley on top and an intricately folded letter from himself on the bottom, and turned on his heel to leave again.

Before he could Harry's hand shot out and grabbed Draco's wrist.

Draco stopped and half turned. He made no effort to remove his arm from Harry's grasp. He turned completely and Harry was looking at him, no through him it seemed.

Harry came to after a while and let go of Draco's wrist, "Sorry," he muttered.

Before Draco could stop himself he closed the distance between them and kissed Harry passionately, trying to convey his emotions in the kiss.

Harry secured his hands on Draco's waist and lost himself in the frenzied kiss, they never got intimate at work, too many potential witnesses, but Harry couldn't bring himself to think of the repercussions.

The kissing continued for a few more seconds before Harry saw a shadow slide by his _open _door. He pushed Draco away swiftly and stepped back.

Draco looked hurt when Harry met his gaze again.

"We can't, Draco, not here— anyone could see us," anyone might have already seen them locked in a passionate embrace, but Harry didn't want to tell Draco that.

Draco started to say something, Harry braced for it, but in the end Draco absconded without so much as a parting glance.

Harry stood there for a time, savoring the kiss and cursing himself for being so damn careless. He was angry, not at Draco, but at himself. In his frustration, he lashed out and knocked his papers off his desk.

Bloody hell, he thought as he stooped to pick them back up. At the very end, only a strange looking letter remained on the ground.

He picked it up and unfolded it.

_H-_

_What's love got to do with it?_

_-D_

Harry didn't understand what Draco meant, but a quick _Incendio_ vanished the note in a quick burst of flame.

A/N: Remember when I said I'd try to be quick about updating? I broke that promise and took six hundred years to update this. A thousand apologies for that and how short it is, but it's 3am and this is the best I can do.

Please, please review and favorite, and this time I will really, really try not to let the time between posts get too long.


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